This invention relates to systems for automatic analysis of blood samples and more particularly to a dispensing device for spotting a slide with biological fluid such as blood.
Apparatus for analyzing biological fluid samples such as blood usually include dispensers or metering devices to deposit blood or other fluid samples on a slide for subsequent analysis.
For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,568,549; 4,512,952; 4,296,069 and 4,296,070 disclose systems and system components for automatic analysis of blood samples deposited on slides. Included in such systems is a fluid spotting device which spots the slides with a fluid sample.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,452,899 and 4,675,301 show a fluid spotting head that automatically moves up and down as well as back and forth and carries a disposable pipette tip. A pipette tip ejection structure for removing the pipette tip from the spotting device is spaced and separate from the spotting head. Thus the pipette tip ejection structure is not built into the spotting head and the spotting head must be brought into alignment with the ejection structure in order to eject the pipette tip.
It is thus desirable to provide a metering or spotting device for a slide analysis system which accesses blood samples from a first location such as a slide holding device, spots the slides with the accessed sample and has a built-in pipette tip ejector for automatically ejecting a used pipette tip when the testing of an individual fluid sample is completed.